Mayor Roth represents a new generation of pragmatic leaders of Hawai'i. We look forward to any comments and questions anyone might have on, what will likely be, a visionary exchange at the next RRH ENERGY ZOOM forum on June 29 at 9 am.

Blog by Michael Markrich RENEW REBUILD HAWAII copyright 2023

Mayor of Hawai’i County, Mitch Roth, elected in 2020, knows personally the need to upgrade the Big Island’s energy and infrastructure needs. On January 11, 2021, he suffered a heart attack while visiting South Kohala. He had to be driven by ambulance up and down winding roads, first to North Hawaii Community Hospital, and ultimately to Hilo Medical Center where the Big Islands only Cath Lab is. Fortunately, he made it in the “nick of time” and made a full recovery. The experience, he said, left him with a sense of urgency to “address years of lingering construction projects, failing systems, and other issues being felt daily by the public which had gone from someone else’s problem to our problem.”

This was a significant statement made by a sitting mayor in Hawai'i. In Hawaii, it is not unusual for complex infrastructure problems to be left unresolved by outgoing political leaders simply due to lack of funding. The problems have then gotten worse because of the low tax base and the reluctance of governors and mayors to raise taxes in order to pay for the upgrading of critical infrastructure. To make matters worse, the majority of legislators are Honolulu-centric and have little personal knowledge or interest in what takes place on other islands, such as the Big Island.

Mayor Roth, who was formerly the County of Hawaii prosecutor, was determined to find a way to deal with the County’s most pressing issues. He looks to obtain new revenue sources from the federal government as well as through grants from philanthropic organizations. Foremost among his goals is energy. He is committed to a new hydrogen future for the Big Island.

Consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine:

In 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, gas prices jumped and created a severe problem for the people of the Big Island. Mayor Roth asked Governor David Ige to declare a state of emergency so that Big Island could implement alternative energy solutions more swiftly. This is due to the State Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) tendency to sit on projects for years while analyzing issues. Their analysis includes “price volatility, fuel supply rise, and greenhouse gas emissions.” Governor Ige did not do so, citing the need to follow procedure.

From Mayor Roth’s perspective, the people of the County of Hawai'i simply can’t wait. The PUC protocols currently in place are to protect the public interest but were written into law generations ago when conditions were different. He believes that speed is of the essence in resolving the problems faced by the people of his island. This is particularly true in resolving energy problems on the Big Island.

The energy cost problem is immense on the Big Island not only because of the high cost of fuel but also because 50% of the population lives within the poverty level. They are ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) – Many suffer from energy poverty (20% of their income is spent on electricity) and cannot afford to buy gas to go to work. The mayor describes the transportation and energy bills his island population pays as “staggering”. 

The Mayor has committed to upgrading the Big Island’s entire energy infrastructure and is devoted to social justice – so that the immense energy burden can be lifted from low-income households. His intent, he said, is “to serve the county of the present not of the past.”

1)    Towards this end, the County of Hawai'i successfully applied for and was granted a Hydrogen Twin Cities initiative grant from the US Department of Energy Hydrogen Program. The program calls for a 5 tier mentoring relationship between Namie, Japan, Lancaster, California, and the County of Hawai'i to replace oil and fossil fuels with hydrogen fuel cells by 2035. Namie, Japan is near Fukushima which is Japan’s foremost hydrogen research center.

2)    Speaking of the Big Island energy mix, Mayor Roth said “We believe we could be at 100 percent renewable energy within five years if every production hub were able to operate in our grid at total capacity. Between the myriad of solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass plants on the island, we can produce more than enough energy to power our island at cheap and affordable rates once the prices are no longer tied to oil. However, our main concern lies in the semantics, and our valid worry is that we will continue to trip over our own feet in attempting to meet our state’s 2045 renewable energy goal or Hawaiian Electric’s 2035 renewable energy goal. There seems to be a disconnect between what is “right” and what is “technically” the right thing to do. The price of fuel will only continue to grow and global tensions, such as what we see in Ukraine, will only exacerbate the issue. Without cheaper, better alternatives to fossil fuels, we will always have a high cost of living. We must be more creative if we ever wish to meet our renewable energy goals and attain a more sustainable quality of life for our local families.”

3)    Mayor Roth has been a supporter of geothermal energy. He was supportive of the decision to increase capacity by the PUC of Puna Geothermal Ventures (PGV) from 38 to 46 MW on March 16, 2022.

4)    The Hawaii Island grid is, officially, 40% dependent on fossil fuels. This estimate is not complete due to the rural nature of the island of Hawaii leading to large numbers of residents who are dependent upon private and often uncounted amounts of propane for cooking. This means that the use of fossil fuels by the people on the island is likely greater percentage than presently estimated.

Hawaiian Electric would like to make this clarification on this point

CLARIFICATION: Hawai‘i Island was 47.9% renewable in 2022. This is based on a new definition for Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) which was changed by state law last year. It is now defined as the percentage of electricity generated by renewable resources. It was previously defined as the percentage of electricity sold that came from renewable resources. Under the previous definition, our RPS would be 60%. Other policies also would need to be put into place to ensure statewide decarbonization (off-grid customers, private use of unregulated gas such as propane tanks, etc.).

5)   Hawaii Island has produced a planning document to deal with climate change.  https://cohplanning.konveio.com/draft-integrated-climate-action-plan-icap-island-hawaii?document=1  

6)    Mayor Roth said that he looks to Kauai for leadership as an example of what can be done to shift their energy mix from fossil fuels to renewables. Kauai is now powered by renewable energy 100% on some days. The actions of Kauai have earned the admiration of renewable energy advocates throughout the world. However, HECO believes that a one-to-one comparison of their efforts and those of KIUC the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative is unfair because the regulatory restrictions placed on them are far greater.

They wrote

COMMENT: Hawaiian Electric is bound by a procurement process overseen by the Public Utilities Commission and must receive approval before issuing any request for proposals (RFPs) for renewable projects. This process has typically taken anywhere from 6 to 21 months before RFPs are issued. Kauai isn’t bound by this process and can issue RFPs directly to potential project developers, reducing the time from the initial project concept to completion.

7)    Mayor Roth is looking at other sources of power such as gas from wastewater, burning biomass, and geothermal. He estimates that the County only needs to generate 85 additional MW from renewable energy sources to be 100% renewable for basic electricity self-sufficiency (not transportation). The Big Island is at the 100 MW production level now. The solar farm’s power is 40 MW, the wind power is 30 MW, and PGV which is currently 38 MW and will be 46 MW in the near future. Hawaiian Electric disagrees with this calculation. It believes that the true need for the County to go fully renewable would be more than twice what was estimated they wrote. It should be noted that the Mayor’s estimate does not include transportation needs in the future. Hawaiian Electric’s calculation is a valuable addition to our information

CORRECTION: Hawaiʻi Island would need to replace 233 MW of fossil generation that provides 526 GWh of energy to become 100% renewable today. New renewable resources will need to provide an additional 736 MW of capacity (a mix of large-scale solar, rooftop solar, and geothermal) and 824 GWh of energy to be 100% renewable in 2045. The increase in renewable resources is needed to serve increased loads through electrification and the adoption of electric vehicles. For example, see page 169 of Hawaiian Electric’s Integrated Grid Plan which is available online at https://hawaiipowered.com/igpreport/.

8)  What is the future? Mayor Roth is very specific – This is from the County of Hawaii 2021 proposal to the Department of Energy — “(i) Convert the County’s vehicles from fossil fuel power systems to hydrogen/electric, (ii) Develop a Renewable Technical Center to train the local workforces on assembly, maintenance, etc. and (iii), Increase hydrogen production, storage, and use through a clean, closed-loop energy system (i.e., production of hydrogen through renewable energy sources such as geothermal, wind, biomass, and solar and atmospheric water generation).”

https://www.khon2.com/local-news/big-island-mayor-mitch-roth-remains-in-hilo-medical-center-through-weekend-feeling-better-takes-selfie

https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2023/01/23/mayor-roth-presents-county-priorities-to-lawmakers/

https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/our-county/mayor

https://www.rd.hawaiicounty.gov/economic-development/energy

https://bigislandnow.com/2023/03/14/mitch-roth-emphasizes-sustainability-in-his-state-of-hawai%CA%BBi-county-address/

 https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2022-03-29/mitch-roth-wants-energy-emergency-declaration-as-gas-prices-skyrocket

https://bigislandnow.com/2023/03/14/mitch-roth-emphasizes-sustainability-in-his-state-of-hawai%CA%BBi-county-address/